Wafers built for use in the fabrication of semiconductor devices are inherently brittle. They are cut along a known crystal line and fracture easily when placed into a hot water bath or when pushed into a diffusion furnace.
Various techniques have been utilized in an attempt to counteract the problem of brittleness. In one technique, impurities are allowed to infiltrate the wafer production process to prevent the wafer from becoming too brittle to be useful. In another technique, dopant impurities are intentionally diffused into the wafer to increase flexibility. Yet another technique utilizes laser annealing wherein a laser is scanned along the bottom of the wafer to increase the defect sites on the wafer. The defect sites act as traps to getter unwanted impurities in the wafer. The damage, however, does nothing to reduce the brittleness.
What is needed is a process which will allow the wafer to withstand the rigors of the device fabrication process without the drawbacks of additional dopant impurities and defect sites which are inherent in the previously mentioned techniques.